DAC Collection Artist Information

Francisco de Goya
Spanish (1746 - 1828)

Spanish painter, printmaker, and draftsman

Brief biography, in most instances from the Union List of Artist Names® Online:
Goya received official honors and worldly success, yet he recorded penetrating, and not always flattering, portraits of his patrons. His work is characterized by private expressions of introspection, moral objectivity, and caustic commentary on his times. By the 1780s, Goya was Spain's leading painter, specializing in religious pictures and portraits. He said that he was influenced by three masters: the elegant, fluid Diego Velázquez, his predecessor as court painter to the Spanish royal family; the truthful, penetrating Rembrandt van Rijn; and, above all, nature. In 1792, illness left Goya deaf and mentally broken. He turned inward and began creating dark, disturbing, private works.

Artist ID number in the Union List of Artist Names®:ULAN 500118936.The ULAN link above leads to a cataloging authority record at the Getty Research Institute.

Information here was last updated on 8/21/2019. Some is from older cataloging. Most objects acquired through 5/9/2019 are represented; cataloging is in process for some objects. We continue to add and update content. Please contact the DAC Registrar of Collections to suggest corrections with citations. Captions embedded in DAC images have basic information as of the time the digital image was made; details and updates appear on object pages.